The Spreading Plan

"Wait, I can't do something like that!" Taylor panicked.

"Of course you can. You're the only one who can." Abigail replied at once, as if she'd already thought it all through.

"All the bitches at school have their eyes on him, and I barely know him. You're the only one who can help us get things started. He wants to become a singer, doesn't he? You could find an excuse to invite him out, perform together, work on a song together, or even discuss his upcoming music video. Basically, if you ask, he'll definitely come. And as your friend, it'd make perfect sense for me to be there too. Then after one, two, three times, we'll have our chance!" Abigail laid out her plan.

"But... I... Is this really a good idea?" Taylor felt overwhelmed and could only ask.

"What's wrong with it?"

"You don't know anything about him, do you? He's a model, and you know how messy that industry can be. Maybe he's a terrible person! You don't know anything about him!" In Taylor's eyes, Ryan clearly wasn't someone she could trust.

"Are you saying he'll change his mind and dump me after a few days?" Abigail fell into thought.

"Exactly! That's what I'm trying to say." Taylor nodded emphatically.

"Do you seriously think I'm crazy enough to want to marry someone I've only met twice?" Abigail looked bewildered. "Like it says in 'Fifteen,' how long can a relationship at this stage even last? I've thought it through. If it's all going to end in tragedy anyway, why not find someone more handsome?"

"Uh..." Taylor was completely defeated by her friend's logic and fell silent.

"Besides, with you there, he won't dare go too far. Maybe he'll even behave himself. And even if all else fails, maybe he's just a good guy." Abigail tried to reason with her.

"I'd be hurting you if I did this." Taylor thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"I know you're only looking out for me, but I noticed him the day I saw him in the lounge! When he showed up in class today, I felt like it was fate. I can get to know him first, and if there's really something wrong with him, I can just pretend none of this ever happened!" Abigail looked at Taylor pleadingly.

"You're the best." Before Taylor could answer, Abigail puckered her lips, wanting to cuddle up to her.

Taylor pushed her away, her heart sinking. The whole situation was only getting more complicated.

"Didn't the recording studio staff say they'd help spread his music on social media? Why not take this chance to invite him out? He definitely won't say no." Abigail continued.

Did I ever agree to that? Taylor thought.

"I really can't, darling. Anyone else would be fine, but absolutely not him." In the end, Taylor refused.

Abigail quickly drew back and sneered. "I knew it. You say you're not interested in him, but I think... something's already happened between you two, hasn't it?"

She looked as if she'd suddenly figured it all out.

"No! Nothing happened!" Taylor denied it vehemently.

While the two girls were caught up in their discussion, Ryan was called over by the head coach.

"Over the past few years, several of our starters have earned full football scholarships to the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University. They're both in the Southeastern Conference. As long as you get your GPA above 3.0, you can get the same deal." The coach went straight to talking about Ryan's future. His intentions were clear.

The coach explained that the Southeastern Conference was one of the NCAA's five major conferences. Playing there was like getting one foot in the NFL, and the University of Tennessee had produced a top quarterback like Peyton Manning. Vanderbilt might usually come last in the Southeastern Conference, but it was known as the "Harvard of the South." Plenty of universities had that nickname, but at least it still ranked among the top thirty schools in the country.

The coach's point was that if Ryan kept his head down and played football here, a bright future would be waiting for him.

Ryan, however, wasn't excited. He was torn. He didn't consider himself a genius, and staying competitive would mean a lot of training. That would inevitably conflict with his musical ambitions, and he could only choose one.

After thinking it over carefully, Ryan said, "I probably won't be able to stay on the team for very long. I'm only suited to being a backup."

He'd expected the coach to be unhappy, but the man immediately nodded. "I'm glad you see it that way! I was worried you wouldn't accept a backup position."

Clearly, that had been the coach's plan from the start.

Ryan understood. Since he played Tight End, a starter was more likely to be targeted, while a backup could make an impact at a crucial moment.

"My offer still stands! But you have to be able to make an impact when it matters. The rest of the time, you don't even need to be on the field." The coach gave Ryan remarkably relaxed training requirements.

Now he could give Trey an answer. Other people might not understand, but Trey would surely be delighted by the news.

Afterward, Ryan carried the sports equipment back to the locker room with his new teammates. Someone up ahead whistled. "The big star's here!"

"Been a while. She's gotten even prettier."

"What, you hoping she'll write a song about you too?"

"Her first album was about four ex-boyfriends. The next one will have to double that, right?" someone joked.

Several players chuckled mockingly.

Ryan looked up and saw Abigail and Taylor walking toward him hand in hand. The two had finally reached an agreement.

From this angle, Abigail had a curvier figure, Ryan thought.

At a fast-food restaurant, Ryan and the two girls talked about football, then school life, and eventually music and social media accounts.

"Between Myspace, YouTube, and Facebook, I have over three million followers. Myspace has the most." Taylor frowned as she talked about her popularity, clearly not keen to share much with Ryan.

But if she wanted to put an end to the suspicion that something was going on between her and Ryan, she had to do this.

"Do you use your social media accounts yourself?" Ryan asked.

"Of course. I reply to fans' comments and upload photos from my life. It's all part of promoting myself, but my publicist has to supervise everything. Paula Erickson, the former head of A&R at RCA, is in charge of shaping my public image," Taylor explained.

"What does she think about the four ex-boyfriends on your first album? Or did she approve of it?" Ryan asked abruptly.

It was a pointed question. Taylor's brows knitted together. "First of all, the four guys on the album weren't all my boyfriends. Second, Paula only started working with me after the album came out. And third, she thinks we shouldn't talk about it directly. That would put me at a disadvantage. Keeping things as they are gives people something extra to talk about!"

Then she shot Ryan a glare. "This is how I write my songs. Judging by the results, it's helped me sell more albums. So I don't need to change a thing. If anything, I need to stick to it even more!"

In other words: it wasn't his place to tell her what to do.

When that topic was over, they returned to social media promotion, which was what Ryan cared about most. At Abigail's suggestion, they agreed that Abigail would first share Ryan's music as a friend, then Taylor would share Abigail's post. That way, Taylor would appear to have a natural distance from Ryan while he still got the promotion he wanted. It worked for both of them.

As they discussed the details, Ryan could tell that Abigail, sitting beside Taylor, was being a little too forward. Thinking back to how she'd acted earlier that day, he began to guess the truth.

What surprised him was that Taylor was actually willing to play wingwoman. Was she that eager to set them up?

Meanwhile, Abigail mustered her courage and invited Ryan. "By the way, Spring Break starts the week after next. How about we go surfing in Florida? The UMF Music Festival will be in Miami then, too. You could even talk to the DJs there!"